There are numerous applications and devices that allow users to select and hear desired audio. On hardware, examples of existing devices for audio selection and playback include musical players (e.g. those devices that play musical CDs), answering machines, dictation devices, and devices that execute audio recording and/or playback applications. Other examples include software applications that store audio files in various data types (e.g. wav, mp3), playback music or voice files, and allow for search and playback of desired audio.
Generally, these devices and applications provide information about stored audio files and data items to enable users to select what audio they wish to listen to at any particular moment. This information may be provided in the form of metadata and/or text based information, or visual based information. For example, voice files and memorandums may be viewed in a directory format to see information about the voice files, including the title, date of creation or modification, and associated metadata information. Information about musical files may also be listed in graphical user-interfaces or device interfaces. In these cases, the user must view information related to individual audio items, then select his or her desired audio.
Search and playback services and applications do exist. Such services and applications rely on the user to enter search criteria information. The search criteria is then compared to metadata and other related information about the files in order to determine what audio the user wishes to listen to.
In the generic cases described, the user must rely on information other than the actual audio data in order to make his determination as to what audio file or item corresponds to his desired audio. In some applications, the presentation of metadata information is very efficient for enabling the user to select audio. For example, information presented about music in digital music devices and software players allows users to locate and play desired music by song title, track information, and other identifying information.
However, in other applications, the metadata information is limited. For example, voice files and memorandums contain very little identifying information, unless the user manually inserts information to subsequently be able to identify such files. Likewise, the growth of voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has increased the use of the personal computers as telephones. In VoIP, the personal computer stores telephone messages for the user. In these applications, the number of voice files may become large, and the means for users to identify individual voice files is limited to the users viewing cryptic metadata and/or playing individual files, one at a time.